A discovery along the Ohio River near the Boone-Kenton County line caused quite a stir in 1860 and summoned memories of one of the worst crime-gangs of the 19th century. A Covington man and his friend from Cincinnati were exploring the riverfront, driving a steel ramrod into the ground when they hit something solid. After digging away the surrounding dirt, the pair removed a soiled, tin box, which
had been buried about two feet beneath the surface. Its dimensions were about that of a modern shoebox, and it was secured with a brass lock.
Once forced open, the mysterious contents revealed themselves. They included: several letters, written in code, four conveyance (deed) documents, a pair of lady’s half-worn dark goat leather gloves, a pair of fine gold spectacles and a small oval gold plate or charm engraved with a hand holding a flamed dagger encircled with the letters S. O. W. I. K. These items were bundled together in a copy of the Cincinnati Gazette dated September 8, 1837. Also in the box was a piece of dingy paper covered with coded messages, $415 in American and English gold, 21 Spanish and US silver coins, four gold and nine silver watches, 26 small keys, various pieces of jewelry and two fine Derringer pistols.
Upon hearing of the discovery, two separate claims were made for the valuables, both with the explanation that the person who owned them had been robbed by the notorious “Murrell Gang,” named for leader James A. Murrell. The gang consisted of a group of “land pirates” who terrorized travelers and communities along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The bandits developed a diverse criminal skill-set, beginning with horse-thievery and robbing flatboats. Their activities later included counterfeiting, stealing and selling enslaved people and murder for gain. They were known to be violent and adept at avoiding capture, hiding in caves along the riverbanks…